Lucena was not yet called Lucena at that time, she was Debbie. Her home was along a stretch of that road. It consisted of a single wide trailer with about an acre of flatland and 5 more acres that farmers in the Andes would consider a challenge. There were no cars or trucks on blocks in the yard but a dozen or so chickens roamed freely. Debbie roamed freely too, she was only four but could already collect the eggs and milk a cow. She also pulled weeds in the garden and played happily all day by herself. Her mother was not exactly happy with the living arrangements but was making the best of it since it was only temporary. Debbie’s dad, Rodney, was in the military and doing something in the Middle East. As soon as he came home they were moving to Florida where there were beaches and you never get snowed in.

Her mom, Jean, had met Rodney while he was stationed in North Carolina and fallen madly in love with him. He was the first man who ever treated her like a real person and a goddess. He was happy to do it because he adored her and would do anything to see her smile. Debbie was the result of a reunion after a mission to somewhere in South or Central America. They were ecstatic when they found out she was on the way.

Rodney’s exact job and travels were something of a mystery. This was not a big problem because Jean had been an Army brat and knew about military jobs and that some were simply not discussed with civilians, including spouses. She also knew all about the problems with a military marriage but wanted to be with Rodney more than anything else in the world and ignored the secretive travel and sudden exits in the wee hours of the morning.

What she really had not bargained for was Jettsville – Rodney’s home town. Fortunately his family was not a bunch of stereotypical hillbillies. They had their issues but were as doting on her as he was.

 Jean and Debbie had arrived in Jettsville in the early spring just after the snow had all melted and the mud that defined the end of winter was beginning to be covered with grass. The bare trees and wood smoke from the nearby houses made for a less than perfect introduction to country living.

Since there just wasn’t enough base housing at Fort Bragg they lived in a crappy apartment and when Rodney got overseas orders he asked if they would stay at his place in West Virginia. He also asked if she would help look after his mother Edith. Jean had met Rodney’s mother once and genuinely liked her. She was normal in a down to earth way, as opposed to her mother who was a mean drunk. Jean was more than happy to go to the middle of nowhere and set up housekeeping to make Rodney happy.

She learned to milk a cow, make butter, care for the chickens, and generally care for the property. She did her best and was an excellent student because she wanted to prove to Rodney she was able to live with him anywhere, anyhow. He was appreciative and let her know it every chance he could.

Unfortunately, the time for that was short due to his Army overseas order and now nine months had gone by without him. She missed Rodney so badly that she cried every night after Debbie was asleep. Sometimes she had to cry during the day and retreated to the shower to hide the tears from her happy daughter.

 The garden was not as much of a challenge as the cow, mostly because she had worked at a nursery during college and loved growing things. Her love of the garden transferred to Debbie and they were frequently working together weeding, staking tomatoes, threading the beans through the fence pieces and replanting things that weren’t doing well where they were initially planted.

 They had a bumper crop of tomatoes and green beans. , Edith, taught her how to can them for use in the winter. This went along with Jean’s love of cooking and soon she looked forward to the all-day canning sessions each Saturday with Edith. Sometimes there just weren’t a lot of ripe items and the women would drink wine and enjoy the afternoon or they would take Debbie for a picnic down by Big Laurel Creek. It was not where Jean really wanted to be but it was still a good place to be. Edith was like the loving mother she never had growing up and a wonderful grandmother for Debbie.